Why do so many actors/ actresses have such unusual names?!
Is it because a lot of them change their names? 
Just thinking of names like...
Cameron,
Halle,
Orlando,
Lionardo,
Shia,
Whoopi,
Viggo,
Gwyneth,
Hayden,
Robin,
Winona,
Sigourney,
Elijah
etc...
I know not all those names are that unusual, but they are rare (at least, to me).
Can you think of any?
Just thinking of names like...
Cameron,
Halle,
Orlando,
Lionardo,
Shia,
Whoopi,
Viggo,
Gwyneth,
Hayden,
Robin,
Winona,
Sigourney,
Elijah
etc...
I know not all those names are that unusual, but they are rare (at least, to me).
Can you think of any?
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Now you'll have me thinking of any actors that may share the same name!
Yep - a Friend of mine appeared in a film and had to change her name from Liz Smith to Thursday Smith.... I guess that's all she had left to choose from what with having such a common surname!!
Charlie Sheen's real name is Carlos Irwin Estévez
His Dad - Martin Sheen is really Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez
Bruce Willis - Walter Willis.
Bob Dylan - Robert Allen Zimmerman
Carmen Electra - Tara Patrick
Cliff Richard - Harry Webb
Demi Moore - Demetria Gene Guynes
John Cleese - John Cheese
Tom Cruise - Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Plus there's that Norwich Union advert which does show a good reason for "stars" changing their names...
Are they related to Gloria and Emilio
...which kind of kicks the OP's theory into touch doesn't it?
Yes.
Emilio is Charlie Sheen's brother. :cool: (no joke btw)
Although I think you mean Gloria Estefan? Haha!
Beaten to it
Its so much better for casting director to remember seeing April Fool then seeing April Brown so it can be down to its all in a name
Martin's his dad. Charlie's his brother. As you can tell if you see them onscreen together - seeing as they are all pretty much identical.
Having said that... from that list only two of those actors changed their first name (Whoopi & Sigourney) or indeed their surname (Whoopi & Winona)...
Whoopi Goldberg was apparently named Caryn (arguably also an unusual name) and Sigourney Weaver is Susan. Winona Ryder changed her surname but her first name has always been Winona.
Having said that... I don't think the names are really all that unusual. Apart from perhaps Whoopi.
I did think as much?
So all four of them at some point had the same surname???
Think the 'unusual' names stem from a desire to stand out; unfortunately they are responsible for some of the most chavvy names possible. I've lost count of the number of mothers screaming, "Come 'ere, Clint, Britney, Kylie, Courtenay, Brad etc." after some snotty nosed kid - not to mention movie/tv characters, Chardonnay, Bianca, Tiffany.
Pretty obvious really.
Are you including Gloria Estefan in that? She's entirely unrelated to the Estevez family.
Her real name is Gloria María Fajardo García.
ETA: Or to be precise her real name is Gloria Estefan since she married Emilo Estefan. Her real name prior to that is as per above. Emilio Estefan isn't related to Emilio (Estevez), Martin & Charlie either.
Not Gloria no...
But Charlie, Martin and Emilio yes.
Slightly OT, but related to this post - There was a child in the Guardian magazine on Saturday called Cy, whose father gave them all two-letter names. His brothers were called Io and Rx.
What a cock !!
I read that! Not sure why the mother agreed to such dumb names but there you go:D
The Redgraves, Fondas, Douglas's, Mills' and Barrymore's have all carried the same surname.